One Step Closer
by 123HSMluver
Summary: It's been a long first few weeks of university, but Gabriella is the recipient of a pleasant surprise that makes the turmoil and frustration worth it. ONESHOT!


**AN: Hey everyone, I know I've been AWOL a lot lately, but that's because school and life (amongst other things) have been keeping me busy! So anyways, I'm back with a new oneshot and hopefully I'll be getting my new fanfic started soon! I'm still in the planning stages, but feel free to PM me with ideas! Thanks guys, enjoy!**

Gabriella ran a brush through her hair, feeling the familiar struggle of butterflies in her stomach like she always did when she had a show coming up. Luckily, her roommate wasn't in the room to observe her suffering and for that, Gabriella was grateful. She flipped her head upside down and twined her hair into a tight bun with practiced ease. Turning upright again, she looked at herself in the mirror and sighed, feeling a little more at ease with herself than she had been a few minutes before.

University had started a few weeks ago and Gabriella was still getting accustomed to the routines and craziness of it all. Being her normal and shy self, she hadn't made any friends yet and was feeling a bit lonely. More than anything she longed to talk to her friends, but she knew better than to call them – they were probably just as busy as she was.

Gabriella began to pace, trying to recall the lines to the solo part in the song that she was singing. It was hard for her call up the simple couplets, she was too nervous to see straight. Since doing the musical with Troy, Gabriella had become more courageous and confident her ability. However, that all changed once she got to university. Now, Gabriella felt like a puny little nobody, shuffling along the campus like an ant scuttling along the sand.

She hadn't been able to see Troy yet, his coach was keeping him busy with basketball, and although he told her every time they talked that he'd get up to see her the first chance that he had, Gabriella knew that it wasn't going to be for a while. It was hard enough that school was keeping them apart, but she hadn't seen Troy in over a month, courtesy of him being dragged on a family vacation two weeks before school started, forcing the two of them to see an early farewell.

Gabriella shook her head to clear it of thoughts of Troy and began to warm up her voice tentatively. Jumping, Gabriella stopped in the middle of her scale as the door rattled open. Her roommate (and personal torment), Eva, flounced in with her posse of Barbie dolls right behind her.

Determined not to let Eva's presence get in the way of her having a good performance, Gabriella continued her scales, singing softly, and then louder as her voice warmed up.

"Will you stop that racket?! I'm trying to get ready, here."

Gabriella grit her teeth together.

"I'm warming up. You should be too, you have a solo in the first song."

"Shut up."

Gabriella glared at Eva's back and then slipped her key around her neck, grabbing her purse and slipping out of the room before Eva bothered her any more that she already had.

Gabriella sauntered along the campus, humming to herself as she filled her eyes with the beauty of autumn. The leaves were the perfect colour, falling to the ground quietly, and giving everything a softer, warmer look. Gabriella's irritation floated away with the leaves and she tucked her hands in the pockets of her sweater, beginning to stroll in the direction of the theatre. The butterflies were still swimming around in her stomach, but they were manageable now and Gabriella knew that she'd be fine. She made a mental note to write Troy a quick e-mail after the concert and let him know how it went. She knew that he was busy and told him every time that he called that he should be studying, but despite her protests, he called every chance he got. Gabriella hadn't heard from him lately, but she wasn't worried – maybe he had finally taken her advice and focussed on his studies.

_Yeah right._ Her mind chided. _This is Troy you're talking about, here!_

Gabriella grinned and walked into the theatre, feeling her confidence bloom as she filled her mind with memories from the musical.

She could do this.

The recital could not have gone better. Gabriella's solo had got flawlessly and she had gained a standing ovation for it. She couldn't believe that people had enjoyed her voice that much, not that she was complaining. Gabriella had spent a half an hour after the show receiving compliments from people she didn't even know, laughing and blushing every time someone shook her hand. She had to admit that she liked the attention, but it was clear that the other girls in the choir didn't. The ones that had been somewhat friendly to her were now glaring at her in such hatred that Gabriella flinched as she approached them.

"Great job guys!" She said anyway, grinning at them. "We did great! Did you see the crowd?"

"Shut up, you only care because _you_ got the standing ovation. You're just a freshman – you don't know anything."

Stung, Gabriella closed her mouth and tagged along behind the group as they made their way to the party that was already going on in the gymnasium. Gabriella wasn't really much of a party goer, but she forced herself to go, telling herself that it would be a good way to hopefully make some friends.

A hour later, Gabriella was cursing herself for even deciding on _coming_ to the party. She had been snubbed and ignored whenever she tried to make conversation with anyone, no one was interested in hearing her compliments or her words of encouragement – they didn't like her. Feeling more like an outsider than ever, Gabriella stood neglected in the back of the gym, watching the rest of the girls and guys dancing and laughing on the dance floor.

She had been standing there for quite some time when she saw a swirl of commotion near the door. No doubt, the 'queen bee' Eva had arrived. Gabriella quickly looked around for an alternate exit, but could see none, she was stuck. And the bubble of commotion was coming her way.

Gabriella grabbed a cup of punch from nearby and brought it to her lips, trying to make it look as if she wasn't a total loner, although she knew that everyone else already had given her that title. She still had some dignity. Making a beeline for the door, Gabriella took two steps and froze.

"Not so fast."

Gabriella stood staring, barely registering the fact that her cup of punch was lingering halfway between her mouth and the table. The music was still pulsing away, but majority of the eyes were flickering between Gabriella and the stranger. Gabriella, herself, was still gaping in shock.

"How…I…"

Gabriella's immense vocabulary failed her as she tried to regain her wits. She sent her cup of punch down and gave up on words. She darted forward and threw her arms around Troy's neck, giggling as she caught sight of some of the girl's faces. She knew that they were astounded that someone that 'cool' was talking to her. She knew that they were even _more_ amazed that she was going out with someone that 'cool'.

"You were amazing!" He greeted, running his hands up and down her arms.

"You saw the show?" She cried, beginning to blush as she realized that she hadn't even seen him in the audience.

"I sure did! I wanted to surprise you, so I waited until it was over. But by the time I got through the crowd, you were gone. It took me a while to find you and no offence, Gabi, but I never took you for a partying kind of girl."

Gabriella laughed and wrapped her arm around him.

"I'm not. This was my pathetic attempt at making friends."

Troy nodded in understanding.

"But I'm _much_ happier with you." She relented, standing up on her tip-toes to kiss him sweetly.

Immediately, a hush fell over the party-goers. Even the music dimmed. Gabriella and Troy looked around and Gabriella felt her cheeks warm for the hundredth time that night as she realized that everyone was staring at them – specifically _her_.

"And who is this fine hunk you've got here?" Eva (who had just arrived and not seen the kiss) asked, striding over. She slung an arm around Gabriella like they were buddies and Gabriella frowned, beginning to feel a flame of anger in her stomach.

"Troy, this is Eva, Eva, this is Troy."

"I'm her boyfriend." Troy added as an afterthought, recognizing the cool tone to Gabriella's voice.

"Mhmm." Eva said, looking him over. "I'm sure you are."

Furious, Gabriella shared a look with Troy and wiggled away from Eva. Without a word, the two of them walked onto the dance floor and the party resumed its natural atmosphere, much to their relief. As they began to dance, Gabriella felt her worries slip away and enjoyed her time in the arms of her favourite person in the world.

A while later, the two of them were spinning around the dance floor to the slow beat of a love song, holding each other so close that they could have a proper conversation without anyone overhearing them.

"Nice place. Amazingly friendly people." Troy muttered, earning a giggle and a eye sparkle.

"I wish I could say that it's not that bad…but it is." Gabriella sighed, listening to the steady beat of Troy's heart. "But the courses are nice and challenging – that makes up for it."

She felt the rumble of Troy's laugh.

"I knew you'd say that. I'm sorry I haven't been a good boyfriend lately, school's been-"

Gabriella cut him off, pressing two fingers to his mouth.

"Don't even, it's not a problem. We're all going through the same thing. It'll die down soon, we'll make time for all of us to meet. I'm really glad that you're here though, it's been ages since I've seen you."

"Tell me about it. First a family vacation, which was horrible and strained by the way, and now school! But it is starting to settle down, even now, so we'll be able to see each other more often…we'll get the whole gang together soon."

"That'll be nice." Gabriella agreed, smiling up at them. "Thanks for coming Troy, you gave me the push I needed to keep going."

"Anytime, Brie. You make it worthwhile for me to come."

She giggled and pressed herself tighter to him, feeling slightly dejected as the song changed to a faster and upbeat one.

Troy kissed her and then the two of them sat outside the hot gym, talking for hours about life, family, and school. It was the most peaceful the either of them had felt in weeks, and they both knew that over the course of their lives, there'd be many times like this. This was only the beginning.

**AN: Okay, so how was that? Not too bad, I hope! Just a cute little idea I had floating around, nothing huge or elaborate. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think! Keep an eye out for my newest fanfic! It's sure to be different than my normal stuff! Thanks, yal!**


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